To think self checkouts in clothes shops is a step too far

[Comedycook]

Went shopping to get my dd some new clothes today. Noticed H and M had self service checkouts... tills were open too though. Then I went to M&S and tills were only for returns or exchanges and to pay you had to use self service. I tolerate self checkouts in supermarkets but when I am buying clothes, I expect some sort of service. What struck me is that in my local M and S they sell Jaeger...a blouse was £125. I assume their coats would be at least a couple of hundred quid. It really irks me and no way would I spend hundreds of pounds on an item of clothing and have to ring it up a the checkout myself. I think it's really crappy to be honest... anyone else agree?

I disagree, I think. My Mum used to work at a fairly downmarket Sainsbury’s and quite a few of the customers were absolute horrors. Her manager used to say that the checkout person at Sainsbury's might be the only person they talked to that day.

There was a thing in the Times about this a while back. It basically said that this sort of change is brought in by the rich, who are constantly seeking to reduce the number of interactions they have with ordinary people. I’ll see if I can find it.

There was a thing in the Times about this a while back. It basically said that this sort of change is brought in by the rich, who are constantly seeking to reduce the number of interactions they have with ordinary people. I’ll see if I can find it

But service providers can provide a choice - (wo)manned tills AND self serve tills. Online service AND phone lines. Online/phone services AND branches. Online/phone AND ticket offices. You get my drift. It is possible to do both, and I suspect the cost of extra staff is outweighed by the improvement in customer service leading to fewer complaints and also less shoplifting with more staff around.

I’m quite young and I like a quick chat - brief exchange - with a cashier.

The idea of an automated high street with no human interaction is abhorrent to me. It’s the fleeting human contact that makes us human. I generally refuse to use self check outs. They depress and frustrate me.

Thats fine, but they’re not there for that purpose. All you can do is provide feedback that you value the human service and hope they continue to provide it. Ultimately, shops will do what makes them the most profit

Well this is what used to happen in the past. Customer service was key and was much better than it was now.

Yes, I know some customers can be rude and difficult but for me especially in smaller shops etc if someone serving me is rude and unfriendly then yes it will make me less likely to go back there.

Same!!!
Last Christmas I was doing present shopping, and ended up in Zara for quite a few items. The checkouts were full of people, but the self checkouts were empty! It was amazing! And it gave you the gift receipt as well, for your shopping! I loved it!

Havent used it anywhere else, though.

I don’t like it, especially in M&S because the machines are confusing and it sends me into a nervous spiral 😂

Don’t talk daft. You literally said that you feel like you should get better service if you’re spending lots of money than if you’re buying a packet of gum. How does it make me the elitist one for calling you out on that? Your logic is bonkers. It shouldn’t matter what you’re buying - a purchase is a purchase and as long as the transaction is made, why do you need someone to be fawning over you while you do it?

I don't expect bowing and scraping. I expect someone to serve me like they always have done in shops. And yes, i rarely buy myself expensive clothing and if I do I expect there to be more service than I get if I pop into the garage for a pint of milk.

Times change though. Shops now have the option to do self serve so they’re not going to continue like it’s 1980.

I don’t really understand why you feel so strongly about someone else scanning and bagging for you and needing to be thanked, because you’ve spent some money. You’ve got your item for your money. It’s like you want to be fussed over just for buying a top for a couple of hundred quid.

M&S have stopped using security tags and are moving more stores to self check out for non food. In a lot of stores they don’t have fitting room attendants. Their losses due to shoplifting have soared. My guess is they haven’t put two and two together yet!

Self service would be ideal if the bloody things worked properly. A red light flags up at least 1 in 4 times when I shop (and it’s usually not something I’ve done wrong). I feel sorry for the staff working the self checkouts, they’re running around after red lights like blue-arsed flies.

I love self-service. I don't feel the need to be 'served' by another human being, regardless of how much money I'm spending.

She expects it because of her snobbery. I don’t understand this obsession with having someone ‘serve’ you, just because you’re spending money. It makes me quite uncomfortable that she’s vexed enough about it to rant about it online. Ew.

M &S staff were trained to say something nice about your purchase. They should have machines that do the same!

I have never used a clothing self service till but I generally find the food ones aren't set up to accept my large Seasalt jute bag that invariably has other stuff already in it, I either have to pile shopping bagless in the bagging area to pack afterwards or buy a specific allowed bag

There's no snobbery. Businesses do serve people in all manner of ways. How would you feel in a restaurant if there was no waiter and you had to go into the kitchen to fetch your food. What if there was no chef as you had to cook your own food in a restaurant. Expecting a level of service is not snobbery. The whole concept of employment is people doing various tasks for each other .

The idea of an automated high street with no human interaction is abhorrent to me. It’s the fleeting human contact that makes us human. I generally refuse to use self check outs. They depress and frustrate me.

'Fleeting human contact' is not what makes me human

I don't like them in any store and have never used them, I was in Tesco early one morning, I always go early to avoid the crowds & queues. I had a huge trolley load of shopping and they tried to directed me to the self service checkout, I said no thanks love I don't work here, when Tesco pay me then I'll go ahead, her face was a picture as she grudgingly opened a till and put my shopping through, scowling all the time while I smiled sweetly back and said thank you have a nice day! I shop online now

In a supermarket near me they make you scan your receipt before the gates open to let you leave. I refuse to do it. You can't refuse to serve me then detain me until I prove I haven't stolen anything. It's outrageous

Self-service and buffet restaurants are hardly a new or unknown concept. I don't feel any type of way about them as I don't get off on the idea of being served.

I don't feel any type of way about self-service checkouts because I'm not affronted by the idea that I can put my purchases into a bag myself. It's not a task I consider beneath me or remotely difficult.

I don't go into clothes shops to be "served" and I don't consider it an integral part of the experience. I want the shop to facilitate my purchases quickly and with a minimum of fuss, and so I'll always opt for a self-checkout - I find them easier. (I've also found that clothes shops self-checkouts are much more reliable than supermarket ones, which always seem to break down.)

What an absurdly petty hill to die on. Aren't you only inconveniencing yourself further? I'm sure the supermarket isn't going to go under without your weekly shop.

I had this the other week shopping with my mum. 2 coats. I had scanned, folded, bought the bag, paid. Then saw the tag removal machine. We were right by the empty overmanned returns desk, so I asked a staff member to come and check for tags. He was so surprised there were none. We joked about him coming to rescue us from the security guard if the alarm went off. But my observation on this is that my mum (age 88) was really struggling to stand while I did all all the processing. There was nowhere for non-active shoppers to wait.

My mum has severe arthritis in both of her hands, rendering them almost useless with very little dexterity.
Self service tills for her are a no go, simply because she hasn't got the dexterity to fold the item, open the bag and place the item in the bag.
That's without having to remove any security tags.
Marks and Spencer is where she buys all her Christmas shopping ( we all get a new pair of pyjamas and slippers from her, every Xmas without fail ) so a self service till would actually prevent her from having that pleasure.
For myself I'm happy to use self service, but for others like my mum it can be a barrier.
I always say thank you to the cashier too. Manners cost nothing.

She expects it because of her snobbery. I don’t understand this obsession with having someone ‘serve’ you, just because you’re spending money. It makes me quite uncomfortable that she’s vexed enough about it to rant about it online. Ew.

I think you’re right.

It’s behaviour that I recognise in my in-laws who are very snobby. They love being made to feel important when spending money. They’re very impressed with money. It’s also quite sad because deep down I think it comes from feeling inferior in the past.

When they do something like buy a new car, they get an enormous amount of pleasure from how they are grovelled to by show room staff. Their chests visibly puff up and their mood improves. I find it repulsive actually.

It's not in the least bit petty. Refusing to let me leave the store is not ok... detaining everyone as a matter of course is outrageous. We should not be so willing to roll over.

I agree but there was a whole thread on this a few weeks ago where most people thought it was completely acceptable to reduce shoplifting, even though it won't.

I do accept that it might stop people waving their cards at the machine and walking off without realising they needed to put their PIN in. But that isn't really a problem for the supermarkets to solve, - and even if it is, they could have something else like have a message that says "do you need your pin" to remind people to look.

Edited: my local Sainsburys does it so I don't shop there now.